Patient UFC 113 winner Jeremy Stephens focused on improvement rather than title shot

MONTREAL – If you put Jeremy Stephens on an Ultimate Fighting Championship card – specifically against a fellow striker – fans are likely to get a hell of a show. And “Lil Heathen” is likely to pick up a bonus check.

And though his $65,000 “Fight of the Night” award from Saturday’s UFC 113 event is already earmarked for his daughter’s future, the 23-year-old striker isn’t focused solely on the fight-night awards.

While his heavy hands were needed against fellow striker Sam Stout, Stephens is working toward a Brazilian jiu-jitsi black belt, a well-rounded fighting style, and – when the time is right – a shot at the 155-pound championship.

Stephens outstruck an iron-chin Stout at Montreal’s Bell Centre. The pay-per-view bout lived up to the expectations and delivered a “Fight of the Night” performance that most fans predicted. The Iowa native admits the extra dough will come in handy.

“I’ve got a few bonuses, and it feels good,” he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) after the fight. “I’ve got a 1-year-old daughter who turned 1 on [Friday]. It just feels great to have that there, to have that to fall back on. I feel like I worked really hard all my life.”

Stephens, who made his UFC debut on his 21st birthday back in 2007, has registered 13 knockouts among his 18 career wins. In the UFC, where he now owns a 5-4 mark, he’s faced a number of ground specialists, including Diego Saraiva, Cole Miller, Rafael dos Anjos, Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau.

The results have been mixed.

“As you know, in the past, I’ve fought a lot of jiu-jitsu guys,” he said. “I think I’m one of the guys who’s fought more black belts than anybody.”

That’s why it was a treat to fight someone such as Stout, a Canadian kickboxer and Muay Thai specialist who’s earned his “Hands of Stone” nickname.

“That dude should be ‘Chin of Stone,'” said Stephens, who survived a late rally and crushing body kick to pick up the split-decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) win. “That guy took some of my best shots, body shots, an overhand right, my left hook. He came in with a right hand, and I dropped him, and the guy gets right back up. That kind of surprised me. I couldn’t finish the guy, but I punished him.

“Stout is the type of guy you can knock down, and he keeps getting up like a robot. He’s an incredible fighter.”

Stephens, of course, can stand and bang and hold his own with anyone. And if he can keep the fight upright – as he did with the likes of Miller and dos Anjos – he can score the knockout.

But for Stephens to graduate from show-stopper to legit title contender, he knows his game must continue its evolution.

That’s why he’ll remain in San Diego and work on his whole game.

“I have nine fights in the UFC, and I’m 23 years old,” he said. “I’ll only be 24 on the 26th, so I just want to be patient. Whoever they want, I’m willing to go after. I moved out to San Diego, and I’ve been working on getting my black belt through (UFC veteran) Dean Lister. That’s one of my goals. I’m around better people. I’m with a better camp. I’ve surrounded myself with the best people.”

So while he has title aspirations, he’s willing to wait.

“I do plan to make a run at the title, but I’m just going to be very patient,” he said.

For complete coverage of UFC 113, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

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